2 Miners Trapped And Killed In West Virginia Coal Mine

Two miners are dead after an accident at a West Virginia coal mine on Monday night, Mine Safety and Health Administration officials said.

The accident at Brody Mine No. 1 occurred at around 8:30 p.m. when a ground failure involving a sudden outburst of coal and gas trapped and eventually killed the miners, officials told Fox News.

The bodies have been recovered and are identified as Eric D. Legg, 46, from Twilight and Gary P. Hensley, 46, from Chapmanville, according to the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training. No other injuries were reported.

The accident at the Boone County mine was caused by "a severe coal burst as the mine was conducting retreat mining operations," Patriot Coal, which owns the mine, said in a statement obtained by Fox News.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene at around 10:30 p.m. Families of the miners who gathered outside said they came when they heard that part of the mine collapsed, WOWK-TV reported.

"We express our deepest sympathies to Eric's and Gary's families, friends and co-workers," Mike Day, Patriot Executive Vice President of Operations, told WOWK-TV in a statement. "We are fully cooperating with state and federal mine regulatory agencies to investigate this incident."

The Brody mine has previously been accused of not reporting worker injuries to the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The mine also received over 250 "significant and substantial" violations during a 2013 MSHA review, WOWK-TV reported. Violations included methane hazards, roof hazards and emergency preparedness/escapeway hazards.

"We know that mining deaths and injuries are preventable, and last night's tragedy is particularly troubling given the operator's history of safety violations," Senator Jay Rockefeller said in a Tuesday statement obtained by WOWK-TV. "Every step must be taken to make sure this operator- and all operators for that matter- are held accountable for the safety and health of their miners."